We always need more stories about special places. Belden Lane’s book #Landscapes of the #Sacred, first published in 1988—old but never dated—demonstrates that “sacred place is storied place.” Lane uses stories to demonstrate the importance of emplacement in our understanding of spirituality. He reminds us that the sacred has its places in the geographies of America.
https://www.sacredwonderland.us/belden-lane-landscapes-of-the-sacred/
#geography #narrative #SacredSpaces #places #spirituality #BooksWorthReading #BookReview
St Ninian’s Chapel in Isle of Whithorn, Scotland
This medieval pilgrimage site was a key part of the early Christian missionary work in Scotland.#history&culture #saints #christianity #sacredspaces #ruins #section-Atlas
St Ninian’s Chapel
Guardian of the Roundabout
Loughcrew Cairns in Ballineale, Ireland
These Neolithic burial mounds and a still-intact passage tomb may have solar calendar significance on the spring and autumn equinoxes.#equinox #petroglyphs #tombs #sacredspaces #legends #witches #ancient #history&culture #neolithic #section-Atlas
Loughcrew Cairns
Grand Mosque of Mopti in Mopti, Mali
Every year, people come together to cover this mud-brick mosque with a fresh layer of earth.#sacredspaces #architecture #islam #religion #mosques #section-Atlas
Grand Mosque of Mopti
Tham Nang Ene Cave in Xiangliab, Laos
Mythological depictions of Laos’ national animal make this cave sacred.#sacredspaces #subterraneansites #history&culture #elephants #geology #caves #section-Atlas
Tham Nang Ene Cave
Alishan Sacred Tree Relics in Alishan, Taiwan
You can still see the remains of a sacred 3,000-year-old cypress.#sacredspaces #flora #plants #worldsoldesttrees #trees #section-Atlas
Alishan Sacred Tree Relics
Zen’yō-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan
An eclectic temple with Chinese architecture, Korean lion-dogs, an Indian god and a legendary 700-year-old tree.#mythology #cultures #sacredspaces #temples #buddhism #section-Atlas
Zen’yō-ji Temple
Defynnog Yew in Defynnog, Wales
Estimated to be more than 5,000 years old, this yew may be England's oldest.#yewtrees #gravestones #graveyards #cemeteries #sacredspaces #worldsoldesttrees #worldsoldest #celtic #paganism #ancient #trees #section-Atlas
Defynnog Yew
Guanyin Cave in Green Island, Taiwan
Hidden in a cave on a small Taiwanese island, a stalagmite reported to look like the bodhisattva Guanyin.#sacredspaces #islands #fishing #caves #buddhism #section-Atlas
Guanyin Cave